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The book “What Really Works: The 4+2 Formula for Sustained Business Success” is a great read, and it is highly recommended to anyone looking to improve the focus and direction of their organization. The book is based on scientific research, but for those interested in what truly works in business based on observational research, don’t pick up the book, simply read on…

People need to know what is expected of them at work. The mere existence of goals increases performance on an individual basis. The best way to make sure that people know what their goals are and how they are performing related to those goals is to spend the necessary time with them on a regularly scheduled basis and perform a performance evaluation. During a performance evaluation, coaching and counseling need to take place to make certain that those responsible for achieving specific goals have the tools, education and support they need.

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On a larger scale, something that unites the entire organization is essential. This combines the efforts of the individuals into something that propels the moves the business forward. In order for the team to stay focused, do the most important things and ignore the rest, on a consistent and long term basis, a mission is essential. Everyone needs to know what the mission is, and it needs to be emphasized and reemphasized as a mantra so that people at every level are clear about why they are on the payroll and what they need to be doing everyday.

Research suggests that people will be more engaged, more productive and considerably happier at work when they use their strengths.

(This has been extensively researched by the Gallup Organization and the results of their multi-year survey have been published in the best selling book “Now, Discover Your Strengths” authored by Marcus Buckingham.)

An optimist would say that when lemons are all you have, make lemonade. The current issue of Best Life Magazine details 10 of the greatest career moves of all time.

Here are the stories of two men that turned around difficult situations in their careers.

Karen Danziger, of Howard-Sloan-Koller Group in New York, states, “A great idea often starts with one person and is refined by another … if you see something you are passionate about, get on the bus. It’s better to be a bus on a passenger on a bus that’s going somewhere where you want to go than the driver of the bus that’s heading for a dead end.”

Carl Bernstein had been employed at the Washington Post for six years. He didn’t have a college degree; he started as a copy boy and worked his way into a reporting position. During his tenure he had managed to anger almost all of his colleagues and all but one of his supervisors. He had probably violated more company policies than the next 250 employees combined.

What Bernstein had was an incredible background of knowledge as well as contacts in Washington, D.C. He used this strength in his research, reporting and writing. But in the late spring of 1972 he was banished to what was the Washington Post version of Siberia: Covering local Virginia politics. Having angered one too many bosses, he was on the verge of being fired.

It seems Bernstein had spent a year’s worth of budgeted expense money in a very short time as he ate his way through the fine dining establishments while reporting in Virginia. In his enthusiasm to get to a story, he had rented a car and when he was finished using it, simply parked it, forgetting to return it to the rental car company. The bill was enormous. Bernstein’s days were numbered.

In mid-June 1972, Post reporter Bob Woodward was assigned to cover the break-in of the Watergate complex, because it was deemed a metropolitan (local) story. Bernstein’s instinct kicked in and behind Woodward’s back, he took on the role of refining and editing Woodward’s articles.

While not pleased with what Bernstein had done, Woodward appreciated the effort that resulted in a better, more detailed and understood story. This uneasy truce soon developed into a “dynamic duo” of reporting, with both Bernstein and Woodward bringing to bear their respective strengths.

As the story grew, Bernstein’s local knowledge, connections and persistence uncovered more than anyone at the Post thought existed. He and Woodward won a Pulitzer Prize for their reporting in 1973 and wrote two books about the Watergate affair, “All the President’s Men” and “The Final Days.”

In the movie version of “All the President’s Men,” Bernstein was played by Dustin Hoffman. He later published books on his parents, who were communists (“Loyalties: A Son’s Memoir”), on Pope John Paul II (“His Holiness”) and most recently on Hillary Clinton (“A Woman in Charge”).

Around that same time, a tie salesman became a $10 million-a-year fashion guru, but his business was going broke. The man, Ralph Lauren, was an excellent designer but manufacturing costs were driving him out of business.

Lauren took a step back and assessed his strengths. According to Bill Pullen, a career coach in Washington D.C., one of the least applied concepts in Corporate America is assessing strengths with objectivity and then concentrating efforts for success.

What did Ralph Lauren do? He outsourced production and marketing on everything but the men’s line. He took his life savings and applied them to his plan. It was a huge gamble.

Just as a reminder, the economy in the early 1970s wasn’t so hot either. Inflation was a much more serious problem than today; unemployment, already high, was growing, gas prices leaped to unheard of levels (53 cents a gallon in 1974) from what we were used to (29 cents a gallon).

What happened to Ralph Lauren? Within a decade he was doing $1 billion a year in business.

On the verge of failure, Carl Bernstein and Ralph Lauren played to their strengths. What are your strengths and are you using them to the best of your abilities?

“Make sure you have finished speaking before your audience has finished listening.” –Dorothy Sarnoff.

If there is one skill that every human being can improve upon, it is how to listen.

Apparently, this subject is not taught after elementary school, which equates to the message and belief that it is not as important as marketing, sales, finance, human resources, accounting, production, quality control, IT or leadership and all the other functional areas and topics that make up a business.

It is only a guess, but it appears that those who determine curriculum have made the decision that teaching “listening” will only fall on deaf ears. (No pun intended).

It is rare that we compliment others for their ability to actually listen to someone else speak without interrupting, for paying attention to the person speaking, and for having the ability to discern the actual message being conveyed, perhaps even suspending judgment on what was said!

It could well be that our individual attention span has shrunk through the generations with the creation of such devices as the remote control. It could also be a cultural development, where through the years our egos have been so skillfully trained to accept the point of view that if we do not speak up and rebut forcefully and immediately we will be thought of as weak individuals.

In a competitive business environment, those who do not speak up might not be considered worthy of being part of the important decisions being made. If you jump in with a thought, quickly and forcefully, you will be perceived as being held in higher regard than if you take the time to listen carefully, digest what is communicated and make a meaningful reply in response.

Abraham Lincoln has been attributed the thought that it is “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” This was good advice a century and a half ago and it remains something more individuals in business could benefit from following.

So, how can you become a better listener?

It starts with simple courtesy: paying attention to the person speaking. Focus on the person speaking and what they are saying. Ignore the distractions that occur. Look at the speaker. Making and holding eye contact is a clear sign that the listener is focused and in the moment.

You can demonstrate that you are listening by saying “uh-huh,” nodding your head (even if you disagree) and by taking brief notes (mental or on paper). This shows deference for the person talking; it makes it obvious that you are being respectful of what is being said because you are recording it in your own thoughts and words.

The most courteous thing you can do is not to interrupt.

Somewhere we learned that if we do not interrupt we must not be listening, or paying attention, and that this somehow has an impact on the profitability of the business, the business model, the capability of an employee to do their job. Nothing could be further from the truth.

If all you want to do is interrupt a person before they finish, you have not been listening; you have been waiting to argue a point.

The cure is to keep quiet while the other person is talking. All is takes is to close your lips. You cannot speak when your lips are closed. It really is that simple.

When the person finishes, then and only then should clarifying questions be asked or should you give comments.

If all this sounds rather basic, it is.

What we were taught in elementary school about listening was sound and true, only somewhere between then and now we forgot the lesson. We have all become so interested in getting our own points across that we fail to comprehend that those we speaking to just might agree with us. We can only hear our own voices because we aren’t listening.

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Reading an article some time back I came across a philosophy of life. I don’t remember who wrote the article (it might have been Harvey Mackay) and I am sure I can’t remember all the parts of it, but one portion surfaced last Saturday. It was “Whenever there is a lemonade stand, stop and buy some from the proprietor. That child is going to be running his or her own business some day and they need to be encouraged.”

As I turned into my neighborhood I spotted a young man about 10 years old waving a sign. I pulled up to the curb and bought some lemonade (two cups) and gave a very nice tip to keep the young man’s spirits up in the heat of the midday sun. This young man is not going to be fighting the industry leaders in the lemonade business.

Later I reflected on what this young entrepreneur was doing and why it was working. There are lessons we can all learn from him and his lemonade stand.

First, his location selection was excellent. He placed his stand on the corner of his parent’s lawn, where there was plenty of room for his facility but more importantly, for his customers. The stand stood where there was room for his customers to pull up to the curb, out of the traffic flow, where he could safely serve them. His understanding of the importance of his site (location, location, location) would make every real estate agent nod in appreciation.

Second, his signage was effective. He did not leave to chance that people would see the stand on the lawn; he had created a sign that was easy to see, easy to read and easy to grasp what he was selling: Lemonade $.25. The sign was lightweight and was easy for him to hold and wave at potential customers. The whole thing was so simple it would make an advertising professional proud!

Third, he was precise in defining his target market. This young man was focused on a specific demographic in a specific geographic area, in this case, his own neighborhood. He waved his sign and did business with those driving automobiles and trucks on that specific street during the time he was open for business. He wasn’t trying to reach everyone because everyone wasn’t his customer. His focus would make a marketing expert smile!

Fourth, he priced the product for profit. His retail price was $.25 per cup and his cost of goods sold was less than a nickel, meaning his gross profit margin was more than 80 percent, unheard of in most businesses selling a product. He ran a low overhead operation; rent was covered, advertising was a one time expense (the sign) and he did not have to maintain a presence if he needed to take a break or shut down early. His financial savvy would bring joy to any CPA.

Fifth, his commitment to service and his enthusiasm for what he was doing was contagious. He knew his product was filling a need (selling a cold drink on a hot afternoon to thirsty consumers) and he was delighted to be there. It could be argued that he was smiling all the way to the bank but my take is that he was delighted to serve others. And, they were happy that he was there to serve them. His attitude towards making people smile would be the envy of any company; in fact, Ritz Carlton might want to consider hiring him to train their staff.

Sixth, he provided a quality product. It was so good that after purchasing one cup of lemonade I bought a second one. I am sure that this young entrepreneur went through some sort of quality control testing to make sure that the product was attractive to look at and great tasting. Maybe he asked for some input from a focus group (his parents or siblings) or maybe he just used his own taste buds as his sampling tool, but in either event it worked. His product would make the quality control manager at Godiva Chocolates proud.

Seventh, he had developed a good revenue model for his business. If you wanted to buy his lemonade you paid him in cash, in advance. This kind of cash flow system is something that he might have learned the hard way but more than likely the young business owner decided that he didn’t want to wait around for someone to pay his bill for cold lemonade in 30, 60, 90 or more days, long after it had quenched the customer’s thirst. This kind of thinking would make a banker proud; this young man was running his business like a bank, one without subprime mortgages on the balance sheet.

Eighth, he has a board of advisors to provide him with advice and counsel. Whether you are 10 or five times that age, there is plenty to learn in business and life. The young entrepreneur has issues and concerns, and needs to be able to turn to people that he trusts for candid advice. His advisors will probably teach him some things so he does not have to learn lessons the hard way. And, while his advisors want the lemonade stand to be a success, they realize that at the end of the day, it is the young entrepreneur’s business and he will ultimately succeed or fail based not on what they say but on the choices he makes. http://www.kineticdiecasting.com/renaissance.html

Down the road, when he is older, if he decides to pursue the honorable profession of business ownership, I am sure he will be notified about all the things that business owners have to deal with, including collecting sales taxes, getting the right permits, having insurance to protect the business, leasing space, hiring employees, payroll taxes, competition and all the rest. All of these things, he will learn, are not obstacles to ignore or fight but a part of doing business.

Between now and then, I am confident that he will work on upgrading the signage, maybe consider offering a larger size, changing the packaging, lowering his cost without impacting the quality, perhaps raising the price, seeking out advice from others in order to make better decisions and choices.

Above all, it is my hope that he never loses his passion and enthusiasm for taking care of his customers. Because the most important lesson this young business owner has learned is that while he has a lemonade stand he is in the business of providing excellent service to his customers. It’s a lesson we all could benefit from being reminded about from time to time.